1. The text has no heading. Below you will find three possible versions. Choose the one that suits best the information given in the text. Explain your choice.

1. Life-long planning for the future is a way of procrastinating.

2. Life isn’t a rehearsal.

3. Don’t miss the best moments in your life.

2. Choose the synonyms to the words given in italics according to the context.

to share a) to divide b) to distribute c) to participate

d) to have equal shares with others in the use, enjoyment, etc of something

chore a) work b) job c) unpleasant task

d) ordinary task

to miss a) to fail b) to drop c) to be late

d) to lose an opportunity

to advocate a) to recommend b) to promote c) to support

d) to argue

3. Complete the following sentences. Your answers must be related to the ideas contained in the text.

1. Several years ago I came across a notice that … .

2. Many of us have mortgaged … .

3. Being a master of the art of the never-never I … .

4. Life-long planning for the future is … .

5. People take jobs to stay alive and they convince … .

6. I knew a man who gave up … .

7. At that time I thought it was …. but later … .

8. I am not suggesting that … .

4. Put the jumbled sentences in the logical order to sum up the information given in the text.

1. This is a delusion I share with the great hopeful majority.

2. At first I thought it was complete mental aberration.

3. We hope that this style of life is a temporary state of affairs.

4. The majority live life on the never-never.

5. Once I found a message that read “This isn’t a rehearsal. This is life”.

6. In some time I realized that there was some sense in it.

7. Most of us treat life as a rehearsal and miss its best moments.

8. It has ghosted through my life.

9. Once I knew a man who gave up a well-paid job in London and moved to the country.

10. I don’t think that this would suit everyone but I consider him the happiest man I have ever known.

11. From day to day I promise myself that soon I will really start to live.

5. Using the following words and word combinations give the main idea of the text.

1. Message, to come across, to read, life, rehearsal.

2. To mortgage one’s life to, future dream, never, to realize.

3. To persuade, to get past, onerous stage, to devote one’s energy.

4. To share a delusion, majority, tomorrow, never, to come.

5. Life-long planning, way, to procrastinate.

6. To take up golf or sailing, to get promotion.

7. To give up, well-paid, to edit, small newspaper.

8. Life, to enrich, tenfold, to stop, rehearsal.

9. Life style, to suit, everybody.

10. Whatever, to want, to do, now.

Unit VI

Pre-reading tasks

1. Look through the key words and expressions and guess what this text is about:

to make a mess to decide

to keep rooms neat and tidy to give the rights

hostile/female territory to take the role of a parent

to feel like guests to feel responsibility

to have the last and counting vote martyr

a reaction against a command